Why Would I Ever Run a Marathon?

Mr. (Fred) Rogers once said, "Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." Last May (2014), I ended my MBA studies and celebrated as a member of the Class of 2014. Days later, I officially began preparing for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Throughout 18 weeks of training, I received many dubious questions, “Why?” I had concerns along the way, just ask Jeff Quest ’98, my marathon partner. We asked “Why?” when temperatures rose and fell; when blisters increased; and especially when I had to face my fear of mile 13—the distance I was running when I had a training set back.

Why would anyone run an endurance race on behalf of Concordia-Chicago? Each of my 26 teammates had a different answer. Some chose to run to increase Chicagoland’s literacy rate from 53% to 100% on behalf of the Center for Literacy. Some chose to promote health and wellness in the Concordia-Chicago community through the new Fitness Center. At press time, the 2014 team has raised more than $32,650 to help further the mission of our alma mater.

For me, the challenge meant more than a part of my role in Alumni Relations. It was my thank you for the ConcordiaChicago alumni who have influenced the person I am today—leaders like Art Amt ’31, Erna (Pollert) Hennig ’43, Bill ’55 & Cathy (Sieck) Leimbach ’55, Tim Reinking ’83 and Lori (Christiansen) Siekmann ’89, just to name a very few. The CUC Marathon team provided the opportunity to run a significant race and continue the mission of this significant institution (the first Concordia university to be established!). I cannot think of a better reason “why” to run for another 150 years!